Rising to the Occasion
Cinnamon roll
Place: Ish Lehem, Taoz
When: Thursday, late morning
Environment: Located on a moshav in the Mateh Yehuda area, the Ish Lehem (literally, “bread man”) bakery is popular both for its pastoral setting overlooking the hills and trees and for its excellent baked goods. It sells breads, focaccias, pastries, sandwiches and the like, along with certain specialty items like local cheeses, jams, and juices. There is outdoor seating under a large porch, edged by a wildflower garden, as well as picnic tables beside the parking area – some under trees, and some in the sun. There’s also a larger enclosed porch with bigger tables. On my visit, the weather was a perfect sunny March day, and the parking lot was jam packed – as well as the tables. But turnover is fairly quick (and the hours are short), and a group of people with collectors cars pulled out not long after my arrival. Couples came for a pleasant outing, businesspeople sat with their laptops, people brought their dogs, cyclists stopped for a bite, and mothers and daughters enjoyed quality time. From the indoor shop area, you could see into the bakery kitchen, where the bakers were hard at work.
My Order: Chavroux sandwich with artichoke spread (NIS 25); small cappuccino (NIS 12); cinnamon roll (NIS 17).
The low-down: Caramelized onions lent a sweet edge to the simple sandwich, and they complemented the mild goat cheese and roasted sweet potato. The bread itself was fresh and grainy with a mild sourdough flavor. The sandwich came pre-packaged, as nearly everything at the bakery is ready for takeaway. The cappuccino was almost creamy – it had no watery milky flavor, but the coffee flavor was not particularly strong. The cinnamon roll was fresh and flaky, heavy on cinnamon and not cloyingly sweet. Mercifully, there was no sticky glaze on top.
The chevroux sandwich
Who else was there: An older man with overgrown, thinning hair and a trim white beard, blue wire frame glasses and shocking blue eyes shared a table with an older woman. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the symbol of an orchestra on it, blue jeans and sneakers; she wore black acid-washed jeans, black boots and a gray t-shirt. The two were perusing a flyer for a food festival in the area. He was lecturing her about how the festival works, how he’s participated in the past, and how it’s a pleasant experience. They were planning which events they would participate in.
The couple was not married, although his impatience with her would suggest they’d known each other a long time. In fact, she was his older sister. Her husband passed away a couple years ago, and little bro tries to keep her company when he can. He invited her from the center of the country where she lives to the Yehuda region to join him for some food workshops during the most beautiful time of year, when everything is in bloom. He figured it would do her good. Since she’s been on her own, she hasn’t gotten out much – it feels too weird to her to go it alone. But she was grateful for her brother’s invitation, and looking forward to reconnecting with parts of the country she kind of forgot about.
